Saint Paddy’s Day Cooking

Here are some Irish (and Irish-inspired) recipes for whipping up a Saint Patrick's Day dinner in no time. Seasoned for good luck — and delicious results!

Whether you're a full-blooded Irishman or you have a touch of the Irish in 'ya (or even just wish you had!), you'll want to celebrate Saint Patrick's Day by sporting some green and by serving some traditional Irish food.

Food in Ireland is hearty fare — simple ingredients made in robust fashion,
the kind of dishes you'll want to enjoy over a nice pint. The customary
meal includes vegetables and meat or fish, most often in large chunks,
well-seasoned and simmered or seared
or baked to perfection. Irish stew, corned beef and cabbage, and colcannon
come to mind.

Here are some dishes to help you plan your Saint Paddy’s Day meal. Use
these recipes to develop a complete Irish menu. Or select one special
recipe in celebration — some soda bread rolls for the top of the mornin'
or some horseradish spread for your luncheon sandwich, for example.

Colcannon, a traditional Irish dish, is a delicious combination of cabbage and potatoes, served well blended, with plenty of freshly ground black pepper and butter. Serve with a green salad and you have yourself a complete vegetarian meal. For meat lovers, add a side of Beef Tips with Caramelized Onions.

If you're making traditional corned beef this year, whip up a horseradish condiment, such as this delectable Spicy Aioli Spread. (It's also delicious on ham sandwiches and corned beef or tempeh Reubens.)

Using beer as an ingredient in this main dish qualifies it as a good bet
for Saint Paddy’s Day, don't you think? Pot
Roast rubbed with spices and grilled over beer makes a complete, delicious
meal when you toss some veggies on the grill, too.

If you're going to be out of the house all day, you can still serve up a traditional Irish dinner by enlisting the help of your crockpot. This Easy Hearty Beef Stew celebrates chunky cuts of meat and vegetables, simmered with seasonings. It takes just minutes to assemble and will greet you with enticing aroma when you get home!

No Irish meal — from breakfast to dinner — would be complete without potatoes. This Potato Corn Chowder is hearty and versatile, full of lively seasonings. And this Easy Oven Stew boasts gold potatoes, browned beef, baby carrots and onions — spiced perfectly, of course.

Spicy Cabbage Rolls are a modern way to incorporate an Irish ingredient into your meal. Serve them as an appetizer or as a vegetarian main dish.

Serve these Irish Soda Bread Rolls alongside any meal, for breakfast with some jam, or in the afternoon with some Irish coffee. Made with baking soda rather than yeast for leavening and mixed with buttermilk, these rolls will make any Irish cook proud.

Also the perfect dish for serving alongside Irish dishes, this Rhubarb and Orange Chutney, simmered with cinnamon, mace, and allspice, will hold its own!

Margaret M Johnson, author of The New Irish Table, says that this Spicy Pear Tart is one of the luscious desserts you might find at an Irish craft/clothing/food shop such as Avoca Handweavers.

When it comes to cooking for Saint Paddy’s Day, little luck is required.
Just rely on quality ingredients (meats, produce, and spices), good recipes,
and the knowledge that you're stirring up some nourishment and fun times
in your kitchen.